David Cameron and Nick Clegg have committed the Coalition to delivering 180
policy measures between now and the next general election.

Most of the policy ideas, such as a transferable marriage tax allowance which the Liberal Democrats will be able to abstain from when it is voted on by MPs, are reheated commitments from the Coalition agreement.

However, there are some new measures, notably more changes to planning rules to make it easier to build roads and other infrastructure projects.

The Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister published the 52-page mid-term review of the progress of the Coalition.

Unveiling the document - which aides insist is not a relaunch of the Coalition - Mr Cameron said: "This Coalition is not a short term arrangement", pointing out that some critiics had suggested when it was formed that it would last until Christmas.

Asked if the pair would keep working together right up until the general election in May 2015, Mr Cameron added: "We are married not to each other. We are both happily married. This is a Government, not a relationship."

David Cameron and Nick Clegg insisted that the Coalition remained 'steadfast and united' (PA)

Mr Cameron said the country had "benefited hugely" from the fact that the Tories and Lib Dems formed a coalition and from having "that sort of government" to take Britain through the age of austerity.

"It has been a positive benefit that there have been two parties putting aside party interest and acting in the national interest in order to try and take the country with us on some very difficult decisions."

Mr Cameron promised, however, that in 2015, "I will be fighting for a Conservative victory and a Conservative majority government. That is what I want to achieve and that is what I hope to achieve."

Speaking alongside Mr Cameron, Mr Clegg said the Liberal Democrats remained determined to take big decisions in the national interest, insisting that the Lib Dems had "put partisan interest" to one side.

He said that the Tories and Liberal Democrats were like Ronseal wood varnish and had "done what it says on the tin" by working together in the national interest to rebuild the economy after the banking collapses in 2008.

He said he had never for one moment doubted that entering Coalition was "the right judgement then, and the right judgement now", adding that he had never "for one moment" doubted that the LibDems should form a Coalition.

The document recommitted the Coalition to 180 policies, across all areas of Government, from deficit reduction, through personal taxation jobs and welfare, schools, health, justice and immigration policy.

The document pledges to introduce “a series of changes to planning rules” and cuts to red tape to allow major infrastructure projects to be implemented more quickly.

Other measures include:

- Moving “as rapidly as possible” towards a national high speed rail network, boosting the road building programme, and “supporting” the review of airports to seek cross-party agreement on the best plan for air travel.

- Accelerating the rate of house building by providing £10 billion of debt guarantees and help for first time buyers.

- Providing funding to expand “good” schools and to build new free schools and academies.

- Introducing new from rogue bailiffs “who use unsound, unsafe or unfair methods, while at the same time making sure that debts can be collected fairly”;

- Delivering on a commitment to go after tax evaders and tax avoiders by raising extra £2billion a year from people who are avoiding paying their fair share of tax;

- Introducing more help, possibly in the form of a flat rate tax allowance worth up to £2,000, to help working mothers return to work.

- Bringing in a register of lobbyists' interests before the neext general election and reforming party funding.

Speaking at a rare joint press conference in Downing Street - the pair's first such appearance since December 2010 - Mr Cameron said he was committed to introducing a “cap” on the bills elderly people and their families face for long-term care in nursing homes.

“We will also set out big new steps on some of the hardest and most important long term issues that will shape the future for generations to come,” he said.

This will involve clarifying incentives for people to save for their pensions so they can have dignity in retirement.

Mr Cameron said the coalition would announce plans for “capping the potentially huge costs of long-term care faced by many families today so that people can have the certainty to plan for their long-term needs”.

Andrew Dilnot, the economist, proposed in 2011 that adult care costs should be limited to a lifetime maximum of £35,000 while the state would step in to cover any care bills above this cap.

However, the Treasury has been reluctant to supply the £1.7 billion required and elderly charities have criticised the delay in implementing the reforms.

The review document did not set a level for the cap but it is believed that it could be as high as £75,000, more than twice the level originally proposed in the Dilnot report.

In a joint foreword, Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg insisted that the Coalition remained "steadfast and united" and that their shared purpose had "grown over time".

The PM and Deputy Prime Minister wrote: "We are dealing with the deficit, rebuilding the economy, reforming welfare and education and supporting hard-working families through tough times. And on all of these key aims, our parties, after 32 months of coalition, remain steadfast and united.

"Of course there have been some issues on which we have not seen eye to eye, and no doubt there will be more. That is the nature of coalition. But on the things that matter most - the big structural reforms needed to secure our country's long-term future - our resolve and sense of shared purpose have, if anything, grown over time."

The review, which aides have insisted was not a relaunch, promises to help families with their childcare costs amid speculation working parents with children under five will receive financial support.

It also pledged to "provide dignity in old age" with an improved state pension and help towards the cost of long term care. That follows a review by economist Andrew Dilnot, which recommended setting a care bill limit of between £25,000 and £50,000 to stop pensioners being forced to sell their homes to cover costs but the Government has looked at a number of options, including a £75,000 limit.

The pair said in the joint foreword: "Today, at the half-way point in this parliament, we are taking stock of the progress we have made in implementing the coalition agreement that we signed in May 2010. But we are also initiating a new set of reforms, building on those already under way, to secure our country's future and help people realise their ambitions.

"We will support working families with their childcare costs. We will build more houses and make the dream of home ownership a reality for more people.

"We will set out plans for long-term investment in Britain's transport infrastructure. We will set out two big reforms to provide dignity in old age: an improved state pension that rewards saving, and more help with the costs of long-term care.

"And as we take these steps to reshape the British state for the 21st century, we will take further steps to limit its scope and extend our freedoms. We will be making announcements about each of these policy initiatives in due course.

"Our mission is clear: to get Britain living within its means and earning its way in the world once again.

"Our approach is consistent: to help hard-working families get by and get on, so that everyone can reach their full potential.

"And our resolve is unwavering: we will continue to put political partisanship to one side to govern in the long-term interests of the country."

The two leaders list welfare reforms, tougher school standards, council tax freezes, protecting the NHS from spending cuts and help with energy bills, fuel duty cuts and increases in the personal income tax allowance among the Government's achievements.

They added: "Two-and-a-half years ago, our parties came together in the national interest and formed a coalition at a time of real economic danger. The deficit was spiralling out of control, confidence was plummeting, and the world was looking to Britain with growing anxiety about our ability to service our debts.

"This Government's most urgent job was to restore stability in our public finances and confidence in the British economy. In just two years we have cut the deficit by a quarter and have set out a credible path towards our goal to balance the current budget over the economic cycle."